Urgent policy protection needed for Rajasthan's deserts, grasslands: Experts

New Delhi, Sep 17 (PTI) Rajasthan's grasslands, deserts and shrublands that cover nearly 34 per cent of the state but remain largely invisible in land-use and policy frameworks need urgent protection to secure biodiversity, livelihoods and climate resilience, experts have said.

The Centre for Policy Design at the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE) and the Arid Forest Research Institute (AFRI) under the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) convened a state-level consultation on sustainable management of open natural ecosystems (ONEs) in Jodhpur.

A policy brief released by the ATREE at the meeting highlighted the ecological, economic and cultural significance of Rajasthan's open ecosystems, which sustain the state's vast livestock sector, make it the country's second-largest milk producer and a leading wool producer and provide habitats for endangered species, such as the Great Indian Bustard, Indian Wolf, Blackbuck and Chinkara.

The experts warned that continued neglect of these semi-arid landscapes could worsen land degradation and erode fodder security, undermining industries like dairy, meat, wool, renewable energy and tourism.

They called for the inclusion of the ONEs in official records, cross-sectoral coordination and science- and community-led governance to frame a roadmap for their conservation.

Suman Vyas, Director of the Central Arid Zone Research Institute, described the Thar desert as a "progressive ecosystem" and stressed that the damage caused by economic activities could only be mitigated by conserving livestock, pastures and traditional Oran-Gauchar areas.

Abi Tamin Vanak, Director of the Centre for Policy Design, said integrated efforts for biodiversity and livelihood conservation, along with capacity building, can help mitigate climate-change impacts.

The consultation brought together representatives of the ICFRE, ICAR-CAZRI, Rajasthan forest department, Botanical Survey of India, grassroots groups, such as Camel Charisma, Desert Resource Centre, BNHS, Foundation for Ecological Security, and community members from the "Oran Bachao" movement.

The recommendations, the organisers said, would shape a roadmap for sustainable land use in Rajasthan and bolster India's climate and biodiversity commitments under Viksit Bharat. PTI GVS RC